As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 28, 2018

 

Registration No. 333-___________

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

FORWARD INDUSTRIES, INC.

New York
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

 

13-1950672
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

 

 

477 S. Rosemary Ave., Suite 219

West Palm Beach, FL
(Address of principal executive offices)

 

33401
(Zip Code)

Forward Industries, Inc. 2011 Long Term Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Michael Matte

Chief Financial Officer

Forward Industries, Inc.

477 S. Rosemary Ave., Suite 219

West Palm Beach, Florida 33401

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

(561) 456-0030

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

With a copy to:

Brian S. Bernstein, Esq.

Nason Yeager Gerson White & Lioce, P.A.

3001 PGA Boulevard, Suite 305

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410

(561) 471-3516

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Smaller reporting company

 

Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.

 

 

 


 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of Each
Class of Securities
to be Registered

Amount to be

Registered (1)

Proposed

Maximum

Offering Price

Per Share

Proposed

Maximum

Aggregate

Offering
Price

Amount of

Registration Fee

Common Stock , par value $0.001

 

 

 

 

2011 Long Term Incentive Plan

1,000,000 (2)

$1.63 (3)

$1,634,500

$ 203.50

Total

1,000,000

 

$ 1,634,500

$ 203.50

 

(1)     

This Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) also covers an indeterminate number of additional shares of Common Stock that may become issuable under the Forward Industries, Inc. 2011 Long Term Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”) as a result of stock splits, stock dividends and other terms pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”).

(2)

Represents shares of Common Stock, available for grant under the 2011 Plan as of the date this registration statement is being filed.

(3)

Estimated solely for the purpose of computing the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) and Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act based on the average of the high and low prices of the registrant's Common Stock as reported on Nasdaq on June 27, 2018.

 

 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

On February 13, 2018, the stockholders of Forward Industries, Inc. (the “Company”) approved an amendment to the 2011 Long Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) at the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to increase the aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Common Stock”), authorized for issuance under the Plan by 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock from 850,000 shares of Common Stock to 1,850,000 shares of Common Stock.

 

The Company previously filed Registration Statements on Form S-8 (i) on March 12, 2014 (File No. 333-194510) for an initial 850,000 shares of Common Stock under the Plan, (ii) on July 10, 2007 (File No. 333-144442) for 400,000 shares of Common Stock under the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan (collectively, the “Earlier Registration Statements”), and (iii) on September 16, 2016 as a combined prospectus for the Earlier Registration Statement to include a reoffer prospectus.  This Registration Statement on Form S-8 is being filed by the Company to register the additional 1,000,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock issuable under the Plan. The additional shares to be registered by this Registration Statement are of the same class as those securities covered by the earlier registration statements. Pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8, the contents of the Earlier Registration Statements are incorporated herein by reference, except to the extent supplemented, amended or superseded by the information set forth herein.

 

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PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The Company has sent or given or will send or give documents containing the information specified by Part I of this Registration Statement to participants in the Plans, as specified in Rule 428(b)(1)(i) promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Act. The Company is not filing such documents with the SEC, but these documents constitute (along with the documents incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II hereof) a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

Upon written or oral request, any of the documents incorporated by reference in Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement (which documents are incorporated by reference in this Section 10(a) Prospectus), and other documents required to be delivered to eligible employees, non-employee directors and consultants, pursuant to Rule 428(b) are available without charge by contacting:

 

Forward Industries, Inc.

477 S. Rosemary Ave., Suite 219

West Palm Beach, Florida 33401

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

(561) 456-0030

 

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3.      Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference

 

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents.  The information we incorporate by reference is considered to be part of this Reoffer Prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information.  We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings made by us with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) (except with respect to information furnished but not filed with the SEC pursuant to Item 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K, only those reports that so indicate on the cover page thereof) of the Exchange Act, until the sale of all the shares of Common Stock that are part of this offering.  Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Reoffer Prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Reoffer Prospectus. The documents we are incorporating by reference are as follows:

(1)

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on December 14, 2017 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017;

 

 

(2)

Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on February 14, 2018 for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 18, 2018 for the quarter ended March 31, 2018;

 

 

(3)

Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 14, 2017, January 18, 2018, February 14, 2018, February 20, 2018, April 5, 2018, April 20, 2018, May 1, 2018, May 15, 2018 and May 21, 2018 (other than portions of those documents designated as “furnished”); and

 

 

(4)

The description of our Common Stock contained in our registration statement on Form S-1, filed pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act on March 26, 2014.

 

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Item 4.      Description of Securities

Not applicable.

Item 5.      Interest of Named Experts and Counsel

None.

    Item 6.      Indemnification of Officers and Directors

Under the New York Business Corporation Law (“BCL”), a corporation may indemnify its directors and officers made, or threatened to be made, a party to any action or proceeding, except for stockholder derivative suits, if such director of officer acted in good faith, for a purpose which he or she reasonably believed to be in or, in the case of service to another corporation or enterprise, not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, and, in criminal proceedings, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. In the case of stockholder derivative suits, the corporation may indemnify a director or officer if he or she acted in good faith for a purpose which he or she reasonable believed to be in or, in the case of service to another corporation or enterprise, not opposed to the best interest of the corporation, except that no indemnification may be made in respect of (i) a threatened action, or a pending action which is settled or otherwise disposed of, or (ii) any claim, issue or matter as to which such person has been adjudged to be liable to the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the court in which action was brought, or, if no action was brought, any court of competent jurisdiction, determines upon application that, in view of all the circumstances of the case, the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such portion of the settlement amount and expenses as the court deems proper.

Any person who has been successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of a civil or criminal action or proceeding will be entitled to indemnification. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, unless ordered by a court pursuant to the BCL, any indemnification under the BCL pursuant to the above paragraph may be made only if authorized in the specific case and after a finding that the director or officer met the requisite standard of conduct by (i) the disinterested directors if a quorum is available, (ii) the board upon the written opinion of independent legal counsel or (iii) the shareholders.

The indemnification described above under the BCL is not exclusive of other indemnification rights to which a director or officer may be entitled, whether contained in the certificate of incorporation or by-laws or when authorized by (i) such certificate of incorporation or by-laws, (ii) a resolution of shareholders, (iii) a resolution of directors or (iv) an agreement providing for such indemnification, provided that no indemnification may be made to or on behalf of any director or officer if a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to the director or officer establishes that his or her acts were committed in bad faith or were the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and were material to the cause of action so adjudicated, or that he or she personally gained in fact a financial profit or other advantage to which he or she was not legally entitled.

The foregoing statement is qualified in its entirety by reference to Sections 715, 717 and 721 through 725 of the BCL.

Article V of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Bylaws provides as follows:

“ARTICLE V. INDEMNIFICATION. Section 501. The Corporation shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify any person made or threatened to be made a party to any action or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (and whether or not (i) by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor or (ii) by or in the right of any Other Entity (as defined below) which such person served in any capacity at the request of the Corporation, to procure a judgment in its favor), by reason of the fact that such person, or his or her testator or intestate, is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or served such Other Entity in any capacity at the request of the Corporation, against all judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement and all expenses, including attorneys’ and other experts’ fees, costs and disbursements, actually and reasonably incurred by such person as a result of such action or proceeding, or any appeal therein, or actually and reasonably incurred by such person (a) in making an application for payment of such expenses before any court or other governmental body, or (b) in otherwise seeking to enforce the provisions of this Section 501, or (c) in securing or enforcing such person’s rights under any policy of director or officer liability insurance provided by the Corporation, if such person acted in good faith, for a purpose which he or she reasonably believed to be in, or, in the case of services for any Other Entity, not opposed to, the best interests of the Corporation and, in criminal actions or proceedings, in addition, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action or proceeding by judgment, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not in itself create a presumption that such person did not act in good faith, for a purpose which he or she reasonably believed to be in, or, in the case of service for any Other Entity, not opposed to, the best interests of the Corporation or that he or she had reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.

 

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However, (i) no indemnification may be made to or on behalf of any such person if a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to such person establishes that his or her acts were committed in bad faith or were the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and were material to the cause of action so adjudicated, or that he or she personally gained in fact a financial profit or other advantage to which he or she was not legally entitled; (ii) no indemnification may be made if there has been a settlement approved by the court and the indemnification would be inconsistent with any condition with respect to indemnification expressly imposed by the court in approving the settlement; and (iii) in the event of a proceeding by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor, no indemnification may be made if it is settled or otherwise disposed of or such person shall have been finally adjudged liable to the Corporation, unless (and only to the extent that) the court in which the action was brought, or if no action was brought, any court of competent jurisdiction, determines upon application that, in view of all circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such portion of the settlement amount and expenses as the court deems proper.  

Any expense described in the first paragraph of this Section 501 that is incurred by any person entitled to indemnification under this Section 501 shall be paid or reimbursed to such person by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of any related action or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such person to repay such amount to the Corporation to the extent, if any, that such person (i) is ultimately found not to be entitled to indemnification or (ii) receives reimbursement for such expenses under a policy of insurance paid for by the Corporation. Such advances shall be paid by the Corporation to such person within twenty days following delivery of a written request therefor by such person to the Corporation. No payment made by the Corporation pursuant to this paragraph shall be deemed or construed to relieve the issuer of any insurance policy of any obligation or liability which, but for such payment, such insurer would have to the Corporation or to any director or officer of the Corporation or other individual to whom or on whose behalf such payment is made by the Corporation.

The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by this Section 501: (i) shall continue as to the person entitled to indemnification hereunder even though he or she may have ceased to serve in the capacity that entitles him or her to indemnification at the time of the action or proceeding and (ii) shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such person.

A person who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of a civil or criminal action or proceeding of the character described in this Section 501 shall be entitled to (i.e., has a legally binding right against the Corporation to) the indemnification authorized by this Section 501. Except as provided in the immediately preceding sentence, any indemnification provided for in this Section 501 (unless ordered by a court under Section 724 of the Business Corporation Law), shall be made by the Corporation only if authorized in the specific case:

(1) By the board of directors acting by a quorum consisting of directors who are not parties to such action or proceeding for which indemnification is sought, upon a finding that the person seeking indemnification has met the standard of conduct set forth in the first two paragraphs of this Section 501, or,

(2) If a quorum under the immediately preceding subparagraph is not obtainable or, even if obtainable, a quorum of disinterested directors so directs:

(A) by the board upon the opinion in writing of independent legal counsel that indemnification is proper in the circumstances because the applicable standard of conduct set forth in said first two paragraphs has been met by such person, or

(B) by the shareholders upon a finding that the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in said first two paragraphs.

Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, no amendment or repeal of this Section 501, or any other corporate action or agreement which prohibits or otherwise limits the right of any person to indemnification or advancement or reimbursement of reasonable expenses hereunder, shall be effective as to any person until the 60th day following notice to such person of such action, and no such amendment or repeal or other corporate action or agreement shall deprive any person of any right hereunder arising out of any alleged or actual act or omission occurring prior to such 60th day.  

  

The Corporation is hereby authorized, but shall not be required, to enter into agreements with any of its directors, officers or employees providing for rights to indemnification and advancement and reimbursement of reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, to the extent permitted by law, but the Corporation’s failure to do so shall not in any manner affect or limit the rights provided for by this Section 501 or otherwise.

 

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For purposes of this Section 501, the term “the Corporation” shall include any legal successor to the Corporation, including any corporation which acquires all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation in one or more transactions, and the term “Other Entity” shall mean a corporation (other than the Corporation) of any type or kind, domestic or foreign, or any partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise. For purposes of this Section 501, the Corporation shall be deemed to have requested a person to serve an employee benefit plan where the performance by such person of his or her duties to the Corporation or any subsidiary thereof also imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, such person to the plan or participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant to applicable law shall be considered fines; and action taken or omitted by a person with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of such person’s duties for a purpose reasonably believed by such person to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose which is not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation.”

In addition the Registrant maintains Directors and Officers Liability insurance. We have also entered into Indemnification Agreements with our directors and officers which agreements are designed to indemnify them to the fullest extent permissible by law.

Item 7.      Exemption From Registration Claimed

Not applicable.

Item 8.      Exhibits

*4.1

Forward Industries, Inc. 2011 Long Term Incentive Plan, as amended.

4.2

Forward Industries, Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8, as filed with the SEC on February 25, 2010).

*5.1

Legal Opinion of Nason Yeager Gerson White & Lioce, P.A.

*23.1

Consent of CohnReznick LLP, independent registered public accounting firm. 

*23.2

Consent of CohnReznick LLP relating to Intelligent Product Solutions, Inc.'s financial statements.

23.3

Consent of Nason Yeager Gerson White & Lioce, P.A. (contained in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1

Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page to this Registration Statement).

 

____________

*          Filed herewith.

Item 9.      Undertakings.

A.         The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1)

To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

   

                         

(i)             

To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

     

 

(ii)

To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement;

     

 

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(iii)              

To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

     
 

provided, however , that paragraphs (i) and (ii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement;

   
(2)

That, for the purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

   
(3)

To remove from registration by means of a post effective amendment any of the securities being registered that remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

B.          The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

C.         Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by a controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

 

 

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SIGNATURES

In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements of filing on Form S-8 and authorizes this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of West Palm Beach, State of Florida, on the 28th day of June, 2018.

 

FORWARD INDUSTRIES, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Terence Wise

 

 

Terence Wise
Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints each of Terence Wise and Michael Matte his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his or her substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has executed this Power of Attorney as of the date indicated.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

June 28, 2018

/s/ Terence Wise

 

Terence Wise

 

Principal Executive Officer and Director

 

 

June 28, 2018

/s/ Michael Matte

 

Michael Matte

Principal Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer

 

 

 

June 28, 2018

/s/ Sangita Shah

 

Sangita Shah

 

Director

 

 

June 28, 2018

/s/ Howard Morgan

 

Howard Morgan

 

Director 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

*4.1

Forward Industries, Inc. 2011 Long Term Incentive Plan, as amended.

4.2

Forward Industries, Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8, as filed with the SEC on February 25, 2010).

*5.1

Legal Opinion of Nason Yeager Gerson White & Lioce, P.A.

*23.1

Consent of CohnReznick LLP, independent registered public accounting firm. 

*23.2

Consent of CohnReznick LLP relating to Intelligent Product Solutions, Inc.'s financial statements.

23.3

Consent of Nason Yeager Gerson White & Lioce, P.A. (contained in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1

Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page to this Registration Statement).

____________

*          Filed herewith.

 

Forward Industries, Inc.
2011 Long Term Incentive Plan

 

ARTICLE 1

Establishment, Purpose, and Duration

1.1                  Establishment.   Forward Industries, Inc., New York corporation (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”), establishes an incentive compensation plan to be known as the 2011 Long Term Incentive Plan (hereinafter referred to as the “2011 Plan”), as set forth in this document.

The 2011 Plan permits the grant of Nonqualified Stock Options, Incentive Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares and Performance Units.

The Plan shall become effective upon shareholder approval (the “Effective Date”) and shall remain in effect as provided in Section 1.3 hereof.

1.2                  Purpose of the 2011 Plan.   The purpose of the 2011 Plan is to promote the interests of the Company and its shareholders by strengthening the Company’s ability to attract, motivate, and retain Employees, Directors, consultants and other independent contractors, upon whose judgment, initiative, and efforts the financial success and growth of the business of the Company largely depend, and to provide an additional incentive for such individuals through stock ownership and other rights that promote and recognize the financial success and growth of the Company and create value for shareholders.

1.3                  Duration of the 2011 Plan.   Unless sooner terminated as provided herein, the 2011 Plan shall terminate ten years from the Effective Date.  After the 2011 Plan is terminated, no Awards may be granted but Awards previously granted shall remain outstanding in accordance with their applicable terms and conditions and the 2011 Plan’s terms and conditions.

ARTICLE 2

Definitions

Whenever used in the 2011 Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below, and when the meaning is intended, the initial letter of the word shall be capitalized.

2.1                 “ Affiliate ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the General Rules and Regulations of the Exchange Act.

2.2                 “ Annual Award Limit ” or “Annual Award Limits” have the meaning set forth in Section 4.3.

2.3                 “ Award ” means, individually or collectively, a grant under this Plan of Nonqualified Stock Options, Incentive Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares or Performance Units, in each case subject to the terms of this Plan. 

2.4                 “ Beneficial Owner ” or “Beneficial Ownership” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act.

2.5                 “ Board ” or “Board of Directors” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

2.6                 “ Change in Control ” means a Change in Control as defined in Article 14.

2.7                 “ Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.


 

2.8                 “ Committee ” means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or any other committee designated by the Board to administer this Plan.  The members of the Committee shall be appointed from time to time by and shall serve at the discretion of the Board.  The Committee shall consist of two or more directors who are Nonemployee Directors and “ Outside Directors ” (as such term is defined in Section 162(m) of the Code).

2.9                 “ Company ” means Forward Industries, Inc., a New York corporation, and any successor thereto as provided in Article 17 herein.

2.10              “ Covered Employee ” means a Participant who is a “covered employee,” as defined in Section 162(m) of the Code and the regulations promulgated under Section 162(m) of the Code, or any successor statute.

2.11              “ Director ” means a member of the Board of Directors of the Company and/or any of its Affiliates and/or Subsidiaries.

2.12              “ Effective Date ” has the meaning set forth in Section 1.1.

2.13              “ Employee ” means any employee of the Company, its Affiliates and/or Subsidiaries.

2.14              “ Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, or any successor act thereto.

2.15              “ Evidence of Award ” means an agreement, certificate, resolution or other type or form of writing or other evidence approved by the Committee which sets forth the terms and conditions of an Award.  An Evidence of Award may be in any electronic medium, may be limited to a notation on the books and records of the Company and, with the approval of the Committee, need not be signed by a representative of the Company or a Participant.

2.16              “ Fair Market Value ” or “FMV” means the last sales price reported for the Shares on the applicable date as reported on the principal national securities exchange in the United States on which it is then traded or The NASDAQ Stock Market (if the Shares are so listed), or, if not so listed, the mean between the closing bid and asked prices of publicly traded Shares in the over-the-counter market, or, if such bid and asked prices shall not be available, as reported by any nationally recognized quotation service selected by the Company, or as determined by the Committee in a manner consistent with the provisions of the Code. If, however, the required accounting standards used to account for equity Awards granted to Participants are substantially modified subsequent to the Effective Date of the 2011 Plan such that fair value accounting for such Awards becomes required, the Committee shall have the ability to determine an Award’s FMV based on the relevant facts and circumstances.

2.17              “ Full Value Award ” means an Award other than in the form of an Option or SAR, and which is settled by the issuance of Shares.

2.18              “ Freestanding SAR ” means an SAR that is granted independently of any Options, as described in Article 7.

2.19              “ Grant Price ” means the price established at the time of grant of a SAR pursuant to Article 7, used to determine whether there is any payment due upon exercise of the SAR.

2.20              “ Incentive Stock Option ” means an Option that is intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision.

2.21              “ Insider ” shall mean an individual who is, on the relevant date, an officer, Director, or more than ten percent (10%) Beneficial Owner of any class of the Company’s equity securities that is registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, as determined by the Board in accordance with Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

2.22              “ Nonemployee Director ” has the same meaning set forth in Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act, or any successor definition adopted by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.


 

 

 

2.23              “ Nonqualified Stock Option ” means an Option that is not intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code, or that otherwise does not meet such requirements.

2.24              “ Operating Cash Flow ” means cash flow from operating activities.

2.25              “ Option ” means the right to purchase Shares granted to a Participant in accordance with Article 6.  Options granted under this Plan may be Nonqualified Stock Options, Incentive Stock Option or a combination thereof.

2.26              “ Option Price ” means the price at which a Share may be purchased by a Participant pursuant to an Option.

2.27              “ Participant ” means any eligible person as set forth in Article 5 to whom an Award is granted.

2.28              “ Performance-Based Compensation ” means compensation under an Award that satisfies the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code for deductibility of remuneration paid to Covered Employees.

2.29              “ Performance Measures ” means measures as described in Article 10 on which the performance goals are based and which are approved by the Company’s shareholders pursuant to this Plan in order to qualify Awards as Performance-Based Compensation.

2.30              “ Performance Period ” means the period of time during which the performance goals must be met in order to determine the degree of payout and/or vesting with respect to an Award.

2.31              “ Performance Share ” means an Award granted to a Participant, as described in Article 9.

2.32              “ Performance Unit ” means an Award granted to a Participant, as described in Article 9.

2.33              “ Period of Restriction ” means the period when Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units are subject to a “substantial risk of forfeiture” within the meaning of Section 83 of the Code (based on the passage of time, the achievement of performance goals, or upon the occurrence of other events as determined by the Committee, in its discretion), as provided in Article 8.

2.34              “ Person ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, including a “group” as defined in Section 13(d) thereof.

2.35              “ Plan ” means the Forward Industries, Inc. 2011 Long Term Incentive Plan.

2.36              “ Plan Year ” means the Company’s fiscal year that begins October 1 and ends September 30, or such other period if the Company shall change its fiscal year.

2.37              “ Restricted Stock ” means Shares granted or sold to a Participant pursuant to Article 8 as to which the Period of Restriction has not lapsed.

2.38              “ Restricted Stock Unit ” means a unit granted or sold to a Participant pursuant to Article 8 as to which the Period of Restriction has not lapsed.

2.39              “ Section 409A Rules ” means the provisions of Section 409A of the Code and Treasury Regulations and other Internal Revenue Service guidance promulgated thereunder.

2.40              “ Share ” means a share of common stock of the Company, $.01 par value per share.


 

2.41              “ Stock Appreciation Right ” or “SAR” means an Award, designated as a SAR and granted pursuant to the terms of Article 7 herein. 

2.42              “ Subsidiary ” means a corporation, company or other entity (i) more than 50 percent (50%) of whose outstanding shares or securities (representing the right to vote for the election of directors or other managing authority) are, or (ii) which does not have outstanding shares or securities (as may be the case in a partnership, joint venture or unincorporated association), but more than 50 percent (50%) of whose ownership interest representing the right generally to make decisions for such other entity is, now or hereafter, owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the Company, except that for purposes of determining whether any person may be a Participant for purposes of any grant of Incentive Stock Options, “Subsidiary” means any corporation in which at the time the Company owns or controls, directly or indirectly, more than 50 percent (50%) of the total combined voting power represented by all classes of stock issued by such corporation.

2.43              “ Ten Percent Shareholder ” means a person who owns, or who is deemed to own under Section 424(d) of the Code, stock possessing more than ten percent(10%) of the total combined voting power of the Company or any Subsidiary.

ARTICLE 3

Administration

3.1                  General .  The Committee shall be responsible for administering the 2011 Plan, subject to this Article 3 and the other provisions of the 2011 Plan.  The act or determination of a majority of the Committee shall be the act or determination of the Committee and any decision reduced to writing and signed by all of the members of the Committee shall be fully effective as if it had been made by a majority at a meeting duly held.  The Committee may employ attorneys, consultants, accountants, agents, and other persons, any of whom may be an Employee, and the Committee, the Company, and its officers and Directors shall be entitled to rely upon the advice, opinions, or valuations of any such persons.  All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Committee shall be final and binding upon the Participants, the Company, and all other interested persons.

3.2                  Authority of the Committee .  The Committee shall have full and exclusive discretionary power to interpret the terms and the intent of the 2011 Plan and any Evidence of Award or other agreement or document ancillary to or in connection with the 2011 Plan, to determine eligibility for Awards and to adopt such rules, regulations, forms, instruments, and guidelines for administering the 2011 Plan as the Committee may deem necessary or proper.  Such authority shall include, but not be limited to, selecting Award recipients, establishing all Award terms and conditions, including the terms and conditions set forth in an Evidence of Award, and, subject to Article 15, adopting modifications and amendments to the 2011 Plan or any Evidence of Award, including without limitation, any that are necessary to comply with the laws of the countries and other jurisdictions in which the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries operate.  In the event that for any reason the Committee is unable to act or if the Committee at the time of any grant, Award or other acquisition under the 2011 Plan does not consist of two or more Nonemployee Directors, or if there shall be no such Committee, then the 2011 Plan shall be administered by the Board, and references herein to the Committee (except in the proviso to this sentence) shall be deemed to be references to the Board.

ARTICLE 4

Shares Subject to the 2011 Plan and Maximum Awards

4.1                  Number of Shares Available for Awards .

(a)                 Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.4 herein, the maximum number of Shares available for issuance to Participants under the 2011 Plan (the “Share Authorization”) shall be one million eight hundred fifty thousand (1,850,000) Shares, all of which may be Incentive Stock Options;


 

(b)                 Of the Shares reserved for issuance under Section 4.1(a) of the 2011 Plan, no more than four hundred thousand (400,000) of the reserved Shares may be issued pursuant to Full Value Awards.

(c)                 Subject to the limit set forth in Section 4.1(a) on the number of Shares that may be issued in the aggregate under the 2011 Plan, the maximum number of Shares that may be issued to any one Participant in a Plan Year is three hundred thousand (300,000).

4.2                  Share Usage .  Shares covered by an Award shall only be counted as used to the extent they are actually issued.  Any Shares related to Awards which terminate by expiration, forfeiture, cancellation, or otherwise without the issuance of such Shares, are settled in cash in lieu of Shares, or are exchanged with the Committee’s permission, prior to the issuance of Shares, for Awards not involving Shares, shall be available again for grant under the 2011 Plan.  Moreover, if the Option Price of any Option granted under the 2011 Plan or the tax withholding requirements with respect to any Award granted under the 2011 Plan are satisfied by tendering Shares to the Company (by either actual delivery or by attestation), or if an SAR is exercised, only the number of Shares issued, net of the Shares tendered, if any, will be deemed delivered for purposes of determining the maximum number of Shares available for delivery under the 2011 Plan and any Shares so tendered shall again be available for issuance under the 2011 Plan. The maximum number of Shares available for issuance under the 2011 Plan shall not be reduced to reflect any dividends or dividend equivalents that are reinvested into additional Shares or credited as additional Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares, or Stock-Based Awards.  The Shares available for issuance under the 2011 Plan may be authorized and unissued Shares, treasury Shares or a combination thereof.

4.3                  Annual Award Limits .  Subject to the terms of Section 4.1 hereof and unless and until the Committee determines that an Award to a Covered Employee shall not be designed to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation, the following limits (each an “Annual Award Limit,” and, collectively, “Annual Award Limits”) shall apply to grants of such Awards under the 2011 Plan:

(a)                  Options :  The maximum aggregate number of Shares subject to Options granted in any one Plan Year to any one Participant shall be three hundred thousand (300,000).

(b)                  Incentive Stock Options :  The maximum aggregate number of Shares subject to Incentive Stock Options granted under the 2011 Plan to any one Participant shall be three hundred thousand (300,000).

(c)                  SARs :  The maximum number of Shares subject to Stock Appreciation Rights granted in any one Plan Year to any one Participant shall be three hundred thousand (300,000).

(d)                  Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units :  The maximum aggregate grant with respect to Awards of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units in any one Plan Year to any one Participant shall be three hundred thousand (300,000).

(e)                  Performance Units or Performance Shares :  The maximum aggregate Award of Performance Units or Performance Shares that any one Participant may receive in any one Plan Year shall be three hundred thousand (300,000) Shares, or equal to the value of three hundred thousand (300,000) Shares determined as of the date of vesting or payout, as applicable.

4.4                  Adjustments in Authorized Shares .  In the event of any corporate event or transaction (including, but not limited to, a change in the shares of the Company or the capitalization of the Company) such as a merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, separation, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split up, spin-off, or other distribution of stock or property of the Company, combination of Shares, exchange of Shares, dividend in kind, or other like change in capital structure or distribution (other than normal cash dividends) to shareholders of the Company, or any similar corporate event or transaction, the Committee, in its sole discretion, in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of Participants’ rights under the 2011 Plan, shall substitute or adjust, as applicable, the number and kind of Shares that may be issued under the 2011 Plan or under particular forms of Awards, the number and kind of Shares subject to outstanding Awards, the Option Price or Grant Price applicable to outstanding Awards, the Annual Award Limits, and other value determinations applicable to outstanding Awards.


 

 

Except as otherwise provided by Section 162(m) of the Code, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may also make appropriate adjustments in the terms of any Awards under the 2011 Plan to reflect or related to such changes or distributions and to modify any other terms of outstanding Awards, including modifications of performance goals and changes in the length of Performance Periods.  The determination of the Committee as to the foregoing adjustments, if any, shall be conclusive and binding on Participants under the 2011 Plan.

Subject to the provisions of Article 15, without affecting the number of Shares reserved or available hereunder, the Committee may authorize the issuance or assumption of benefits under this Plan in connection with any merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, or reorganization upon such terms and conditions as it may deem appropriate, subject to compliance with the rules under Section 422 of the Code and the Section 409A Rules, where applicable.

ARTICLE 5

Eligibility and Participation

5.1                  Eligibility .  Individuals eligible to participate in this Plan include all Employees, Directors, consultants and other independent contractors.

5.2                  Actual Participation .  Subject to the provisions of the 2011 Plan, the Committee may, from time to time, select from all eligible individuals, those to whom Awards shall be granted and shall determine, in its sole discretion, the nature of, any and all terms permissible by law, and the amount of each Award.  In making this determination, the Committee may consider any factors it deems relevant, including without limitation, the office or position held by a Participant or the Participant’s relationship to the Company, the Participant’s degree of responsibility for and contribution to the growth and success of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, the Participant’s length of service, promotions and potential.

5.3                  Ten Percent Shareholder .  A Ten Percent Shareholder shall not be granted an Incentive Stock Option unless the exercise price of such option is at least one hundred ten percent(110%) of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the date of grant and the Option is not exercisable after the expiration of five(5) years from the date of grant.

ARTICLE 6

Options

6.1                  Grant of Options .  Subject to the terms and provisions of the 2011 Plan, Options may be granted to Participants in such number, and upon such terms, and at any time and from time to time as shall be determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion.

6.2                  Evidence of Award .  Each Option grant shall be evidenced by an Evidence of Award that shall specify the Option Price, the maximum duration of the Option, the number of Shares to which the Option pertains, the conditions upon which an Option shall become vested and exercisable, and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine which are not inconsistent with the terms of the 2011 Plan.

6.3                  Option Price .  The Option Price for each grant of an Option under this Plan shall be as determined by the Committee and shall be specified in the Evidence of Award.  The Option Price may not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the date of grant.

6.4                  Duration of Options .  Except as otherwise provided in Section 422 of the Code, each Option granted to a Participant shall expire at such time as the Committee shall determine at the time of grant and specify in the Evidence of Award; provided, however, that no Option shall be exercisable later than the tenth anniversary date of its grant.


 

 

6.5                  Exercise of Options .  Options granted under this Article 6 shall be exercisable at such times and be subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Committee shall in each instance approve and specify in the Evidence of Award, which terms and restrictions need not be the same for each grant or for each Participant.  The Committee may provide in the Evidence of Award for the acceleration of the vesting and exercisability of outstanding Options, in whole or in part, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, in the event of a Change in Control.

6.6                  Payment .  Options granted under this Article 6 shall be exercised by the delivery of a notice of exercise to the Company or an agent designated by the Company in a form specified or accepted by the Committee, or by complying with any alternative procedures which may be authorized by the Committee, setting forth the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is to be exercised, accompanied by full payment for the Shares.

A condition of the issuance of the Shares as to which an Option shall be exercised shall be the payment of the Option Price.  The Option Price of any Option shall be payable to the Company in full either: (a) in cash or its equivalent; (b) by tendering (either by actual delivery or attestation) previously acquired Shares having an aggregate Fair Market Value at the time of exercise equal to the Option Price; (c) by a combination of (a) and (b); or (d) any other method approved or accepted by the Committee in its sole discretion, including, without limitation, if the Committee so determines, (i) a cashless (broker-assisted) exercise, or (ii) a reduction in the number of Shares that would otherwise be issued by such number of Shares having in the aggregate a Fair Market Value at the time of exercise equal to the portion of the Option Price being so paid.

Subject to any governing rules or regulations, as soon as practicable after receipt of written notification of exercise and full payment (including satisfaction of any applicable tax withholding), the Company shall deliver to the Participant evidence of book entry Shares, or upon the Participant’s request, Share certificates in an appropriate amount based upon the number of Shares purchased under the Option(s).

Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, all payments under all of the methods indicated above shall be paid in United States dollars.

6.7                  Restrictions on Share Transferability .  The Committee may impose such restrictions on any Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of an Option granted under this Article 6 as it may deem advisable and specify in the Evidence of Award, including, without limitation, minimum holding period requirements, restrictions under applicable federal securities laws, under the requirements of any stock exchange or market upon which such Shares are then listed and/or traded, or under any blue sky or state securities laws applicable to such Shares.

6.8                  Termination of Employment .  Each Participant’s Evidence of Award shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to exercise the Option following termination of the Participant’s employment or provision of services to the Company, its Affiliates, its Subsidiaries, as the case may be.  Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, shall be included in the Evidence of Award entered into with each Participant, need not be uniform among all Options issued pursuant to this Article 6, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination.

6.9                  Transferability of Options .  Except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, no Option granted under this Article 6 may be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or as otherwise required by law; provided that the Board or Committee may permit further transferability, on a general or a specific basis, and may impose conditions and limitations on any permitted transferability. Further, except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, or unless the Board or Committee decides to permit further transferability, all Options granted to a Participant under this Article 6 shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant, and following his or her lifetime, by such Participant’s estate for a period to be determined by the Committee, subject to applicable Code limits.  With respect to those Options, if any, that are permitted to be transferred to another person, references in the 2011 Plan to exercise or payment of the Option Price by the Participant shall be deemed to include, as determined by the Committee, the Participant’s permitted transferee.


 

 

ARTICLE 7

Stock Appreciation Rights

7.1                  Grant of SARs .  Subject to the terms and conditions of the 2011 Plan, SARs, including Freestanding SARs, may be granted to Participants at any time and from time to time as shall be determined by the Committee.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the 2011 Plan, the Committee shall have complete discretion in determining the number of SARs granted to each Participant and, consistent with the provisions of the 2011 Plan, in determining the terms and conditions pertaining to such SARs.

The Grant Price for each grant of a Freestanding SAR shall be determined by the Committee and shall be specified in the Evidence of Award.  The Grant Price may include (but not be limited to) a Grant Price based on one hundred percent (100%) of the FMV of the Shares on the date of grant, a Grant Price that is set at a premium to the FMV of the Shares on the date of grant, or is indexed to the FMV of the Shares on the date of grant, with the index determined by the Committee, in its discretion to the extent consistent with the Section 409A Rules.

7.2                  SAR Agreement .  Each SAR Award shall be evidenced by an Evidence of Award that shall specify the Grant Price, the term of the SAR, and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine.

7.3                  Term of SAR .  The term of an SAR granted under the 2011 Plan shall be determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion, and except as determined otherwise by the Committee and specified in the SAR Evidence of Award, no SAR shall be exercisable later than the tenth anniversary date of its grant.

7.4                  Exercise of Freestanding SARs .  Freestanding SARs may be exercised upon whatever terms and conditions the Committee, in its sole discretion, imposes and specifies in the Evidence of Award.  The Committee may provide in the Evidence of Award for the earlier exercise of Freestanding SARS in the event of a Change in Control.

7.5                  Payment of SAR Amount .  Upon the exercise of an SAR, a Participant shall be entitled to receive payment from the Company in an amount determined by multiplying:

(a)                 The excess of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of exercise over the Grant Price; by

(b)                 The number of Shares with respect to which the SAR is exercised.

At the discretion of the Committee, the payment upon SAR exercise may be in cash, Shares, or any combination thereof, or in any other manner approved by the Committee in its sole discretion.  The Committee’s determination regarding the form of SAR payout shall be set forth in the Evidence of Award pertaining to the grant of the SAR.

7.6                  Termination of Employment .  Each Evidence of Award shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to exercise the SAR following termination of the Participant’s employment with or provision of services to the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be.  Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, shall be included in the Evidence of Award entered into with Participants, need not be uniform among all SARs issued pursuant to the 2011 Plan, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination.


 

 

7.7                  Nontransferability of SARs .  Except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, no SAR granted under the 2011 Plan may be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or as otherwise required by law.  Further, except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, all SARs granted to a Participant under the 2011 Plan shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant.  With respect to those SARs, if any, that are permitted to be transferred to another person, references in the 2011 Plan to exercise of the SAR by the Participant or payment of any amount to the Participant shall be deemed to include, as determined by the Committee, the Participant’s permitted transferee.

7.8                  Other Restrictions .  The Committee shall impose such other conditions and/or restrictions on any Shares received upon exercise of a SAR granted pursuant to the 2011 Plan as it may deem advisable or desirable.  These restrictions may include, but shall not be limited to, a requirement that the Participant hold the Shares received upon exercise of a SAR for a specified period of time.

ARTICLE 8

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units

8.1                  Grant of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units .  Subject to the terms and provisions of the 2011 Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Shares of Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units to Participants in such amounts as the Committee shall determine.  Restricted Stock Units shall represent the right of a Participant to receive payment upon the lapse of the Period of Restriction.

8.2                  Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Unit Agreement .  Each Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Unit grant shall be evidenced by an Evidence of Award that shall specify the Period(s) of Restriction, the number of Shares of Restricted Stock or the number of Restricted Stock Units granted, and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine.

8.3                  Transferability .  Except as provided in this Plan or an Evidence of Award, the Shares of Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units granted herein may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated until the end of the applicable Period of Restriction established by the Committee and specified in the Evidence of Award (and in the case of Restricted Stock Units until the date of delivery or other payment), or upon earlier satisfaction of any other conditions, as specified by the Committee, in its sole discretion, and set forth in the Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee. All rights with respect to the Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units granted to a Participant under the 2011 Plan shall be available during his or her lifetime only to such Participant, except as otherwise provided in an Evidence of Award or at any time by the Committee.

8.4                  Other Restrictions .  The Committee shall impose such other conditions and/or restrictions on any Shares of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units granted pursuant to the 2011 Plan as it may deem advisable including, without limitation, a requirement that Participants pay a stipulated purchase price for each Share of Restricted Stock or each Restricted Stock Unit, restrictions based upon the achievement of specific performance goals, time-based restrictions on vesting following the attainment of the performance goals, time-based restrictions, and/or restrictions under applicable laws or under the requirements of any stock exchange or market upon which such Shares are listed or traded, or holding requirements or sale restrictions placed on the Shares by the Company upon vesting of such Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units. The receipt of dividends on account of shares of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units shall be determined by the Committee.

Except with respect to a maximum of 50% of the Shares authorized in Section 4.1(a), or as otherwise provided in Section 8.7 hereto, any Awards of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units which vest on the basis of the Participant’s continued employment with or provision of service to the Company shall not provide for vesting which is any more rapid than annual pro rata vesting over a three (3) year period and any Awards of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units which vest upon the attainment of performance goals shall provide for a performance period of at least three months. The Committee may provide in the Evidence of Award for immediate vesting of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units, in whole or in part, in the event of a Change in Control.


 

To the extent deemed appropriate by the Committee, the Company may retain the certificates representing Shares of Restricted Stock in the Company’s possession until such time as all conditions and/or restrictions applicable to such Shares have been satisfied or lapse.

 

Except as otherwise provided in this Article 8, Shares of Restricted Stock covered by each Restricted Stock Award shall become freely transferable by the Participant after all conditions and restrictions applicable to such Shares have been satisfied or lapse (including satisfaction of any applicable tax withholding obligations), and Restricted Stock Units shall be paid in cash, Shares, or a combination of cash and Shares as the Committee, in its sole discretion shall determine.

8.5                  Certificate Legend .  In addition to any legends placed on certificates pursuant to Section 8.4, each certificate representing Shares of Restricted Stock granted pursuant to the 2011 Plan may bear a legend as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.

8.6                  Voting Rights .  Unless otherwise determined by the Committee and set forth in a Participant’s Evidence of Award, to the extent permitted or required by law, as determined by the Committee, Participants holding Shares of Restricted Stock granted hereunder may be granted the right to exercise full voting rights with respect to those Shares during the Period of Restriction.  A Participant shall have no voting rights with respect to any Restricted Stock Units granted hereunder.

8.7                  Termination of Employment .  To the extent consistent with the Section 409A Rules, each Evidence of Award shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to retain Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units following termination of the Participant’s employment with or provision of services to the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be.  Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, shall be included in the Evidence of Award entered into with each Participant, need not be uniform among all Shares of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units issued pursuant to the 2011 Plan, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination.

ARTICLE 9

Performance Units/Performance Shares

9.1                  Grant of Performance Units/Performance Shares .  Subject to the terms and provisions of the 2011 Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Performance Units and/or Performance Shares to Participants in such amounts and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine.

9.2                  Value of Performance Units/Performance Shares .  Each Performance Unit shall have an initial value that is established by the Committee at the time of grant.  Each Performance Share shall have an initial value equal to the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.  The Committee shall set performance goals in its discretion as described in Section 10.4 which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the value and/or number of Performance Units/Performance Shares that will be paid out to the Participant.

9.3                  Earning of Performance Units/Performance Shares .  Subject to the terms of this Plan, after the applicable Performance Period has ended, the holder of Performance Units/Performance Shares shall be entitled to receive payout on the value and number of Performance Units/Performance Shares earned by the Participant over the Performance Period, to be determined as a function of the extent to which the corresponding performance goals have been achieved.

9.4                  Form and Timing of Payment of Performance Units/Performance Shares .  Payment of earned Performance Units/Performance Shares shall be as determined by the Committee and as evidenced in the Evidence of Award.  Subject to the terms of the 2011 Plan, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may pay earned Performance Units/Performance Shares in the form of cash or in Shares (or in a combination thereof) equal to the value of the earned Performance Units/Performance Shares at the close of the applicable Performance Period, or as soon as practicable after the end of the Performance Period.  Any Shares may be granted subject to any restrictions deemed appropriate by the Committee.  The determination of the Committee with respect to the form of payout of such Awards shall be set forth in the Evidence of Award pertaining to the grant of the Award.


 

 

9.5                  Termination of Employment .  To the extent consistent with the Section 409A Rules and Section 162(m) of the Code, each Evidence of Award shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to retain Performance Units and/or Performance Shares following termination of the Participant’s employment with or provision of services to the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be.  Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, shall be included in the Evidence of Award entered into with each Participant, need not be uniform among all Awards of Performance Units or Performance Shares issued pursuant to the 2011 Plan, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination.

9.6                  Nontransferability .  Except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, Performance Units/Performance Shares may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or as otherwise required by law.  Further, except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, a Participant’s rights under the 2011 Plan shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant.

ARTICLE 10

Performance Measures

10.1               Performance Measures .  Unless and until the Committee proposes for shareholder vote and the shareholders approve a change in the general Performance Measures set forth in this Article 10, the performance goals upon which the payment or vesting of an Award to a Covered Employee that is intended to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation shall be limited to one or more of the following Performance Measures:

(a)                 Net earnings or net income (before or after taxes and interest/investments);

(b)                 Earnings per share;

(c)                 Earnings per share growth;

(d)                 Net sales growth;

(e)                 Net earnings or net income growth (before or after taxes and interest/investment);

(f)                  Net operating profit;

(g)                 Return measures (including return on assets, capital, equity, or sales);

(h)                 Cash flow (including Operating Cash Flow , free cash flow, and cash flow return on capital);

(i)                  Earnings before or after taxes, interest, depreciation, and/or amortization;

(j)                  Gross or operating margins or growth thereof;

(k)                 Productivity ratios;


 

(l)                  Share price (including growth measures and total shareholder return);

(m)                Expense targets;

(n)                 Operating efficiency;

(o)                 Customer satisfaction;

(p)                 Revenue or Revenue growth;

(q)                Operating profit growth;

(r)                 Working capital targets;

(s)                 Economic value added;

(t)                  Real estate management objectives;

(u)                 Sale or disposition of assets; and

(v)                 Acquisition of key assets.

Any Performance Measure(s) may be used to measure the performance of the Company, Subsidiary, and/or Affiliate as a whole or any business unit of the Company, Subsidiary, and/or Affiliate or any combination thereof, as the Committee may deem appropriate, or any of the above Performance Measures as compared to the performance of a group of comparable companies, or published or special index that the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate, or the Company may select Performance Measure (l) above as compared to various stock market indices. The Committee also has the authority to provide for accelerated vesting of any Award based on the achievement of performance goals pursuant to the Performance Measures specified in this Article 10.

10.2               Evaluation of Performance .  The Committee may provide in any such Award that any evaluation of performance may include or exclude any of the following events that occurs during a Performance Period: (a) asset write-downs, (b) litigation or claim judgments or settlements, (c) the effect of changes in tax laws, accounting principles, or other laws or provisions affecting reported results, (d) any reorganization and restructuring programs, (e) extraordinary nonrecurring items as described in Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 30 and/or in management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations appearing in the Company’s annual report to shareholders for the applicable year, (f) acquisitions or divestitures and (g) foreign exchange gains and losses. To the extent such inclusions or exclusions affect Awards to Covered Employees, they shall be prescribed in a form that meets the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code for deductibility.

10.3               Adjustment of Performance-Based Compensation .  The terms of Awards that are designed to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation, and that are held by Covered Employees, may not be modified, except to the extent that after such modification the Award would continue to constitute Performance-Based Compensation.  The Committee shall retain the discretion to reduce the amount of any payment under an Award that is designed to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation that would otherwise be payable to a Covered Employee, either on a formula or discretionary basis or any combination, as the Committee determines.

10.4               Committee Discretion .  In the event that applicable tax and/or securities laws change to permit Committee discretion to alter the governing Performance Measures without obtaining shareholder approval of such changes, the Committee shall have sole discretion to make such changes without obtaining shareholder approval.  In addition, in the event that the Committee determines that it is advisable to grant Awards that shall not qualify as Performance-Based Compensation, the Committee may make such grants without satisfying the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code and may base vesting on Performance Measures other than those set forth in Section 10.1.


 

ARTICLE 11

Beneficiary Designation

 

Each Participant under the 2011 Plan may, from time to time, name any beneficiary or beneficiaries (who may be named contingently or successively) to whom any benefit under the 2011 Plan is to be paid in case of his or her death before he or she receives any or all of such benefit.  Each such designation shall revoke all prior designations by the same Participant, shall be in a form prescribed by the Committee, and will be effective only when filed by the Participant in writing with the Company during the Participant’s lifetime.  In the absence of any such designation, benefits remaining unpaid at the Participant’s death shall be paid to the Participant’s estate. Following a Participant’s death, such Participant’s estate may exercise Options or other Awards, if applicable, granted hereunder for a period to be determined by the Committee, subject to applicable Code limits.

ARTICLE 12

Deferrals

To the extent permitted by the Section 409A Rules, the Committee may permit or require a Participant to defer such Participant’s receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that would otherwise be due to such Participant by virtue of the exercise of an Option or SAR, the lapse or waiver of restrictions with respect to Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units, or the satisfaction of any requirements or performance goals with respect to Performance Shares or Performance Unit.  If any such deferral election is required or permitted, the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, establish rules and procedures for such payment deferrals, consistent with the Section 409A Rules.

ARTICLE 13

Rights of Participants

13.1               Employment .  Nothing in the 2011 Plan or an Evidence of Award shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries, to terminate any Participant’s employment or service on the Board at any time or for any reason not prohibited by law, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continue his or her employment or service for any specified period of time.

Neither an Award nor any benefits arising under this Plan shall constitute an employment contract with the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries and, accordingly, subject to Articles 3 and 15, this Plan and the benefits hereunder may be terminated at any time in the sole and exclusive discretion of the Committee without giving rise to any liability on the part of the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries.

13.2               Participation .  No individual shall have the right to be selected to receive an Award under this Plan, or, having been so selected, to be selected to receive a future Award.

13.3               Rights as a Shareholder .  Except as otherwise provided herein, a Participant shall have none of the rights of a shareholder with respect to Shares covered by any Award until the Participant becomes the record holder of such Shares.

ARTICLE 14

Change in Control

14.1               Change in Control .  For purposes of this Plan, a “Change in Control” shall mean the occurrence during the term of any of the following events:


 

(a)                 All or substantially all (meaning having a total gross fair market value at least equal to 50.1% of the total gross fair market value of all of the Company’s assets immediately before such acquisition or acquisitions) of the assets of the Company are acquired by a Person (during a twelve month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such Person); or

(b)                 The Company is merged, consolidated, or reorganized into or with another corporation or entity during a twelve-month period with the result that upon the conclusion of the transaction less than 50.1% of the outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors or other capital interests of the surviving, resulting or acquiring corporation are beneficially owned (as that term is defined in Rule 13-d 3 under the Exchange Act) by the shareholders of the Company immediately prior to the completion of the transaction.

 

 

ARTICLE 15

Amendment, Modification, Suspension, and Termination

15.1               Amendment, Modification, Suspension, and Termination .  Subject to Section 15.3 and 15.4, the Committee may, at any time and from time to time, alter, amend, modify, accelerate, suspend, or terminate the 2011 Plan or any Evidence of Award in whole or in part; provided, however, that, without the prior approval of the Company’s shareholders, Options issued under the 2011 Plan will not be repriced, replaced, or regranted through cancellation, and no amendment of the 2011 Plan shall be made without shareholder approval if shareholder approval is required by law, regulation, or stock exchange rule.

15.2               Adjustment of Awards Upon the Occurrence of Certain Unusual or Nonrecurring Events .  The Committee may make adjustments, consistent with Section 162(m) of the Code and the Section 409A Rules, in the terms and conditions of, and the criteria included in, Awards in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events (including, without limitation, the events described in Section 4.4 hereof) affecting the Company or the financial statements of the Company or of changes in applicable laws, regulations, or accounting principles, whenever the Committee determines that such adjustments are appropriate in order to prevent unintended dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the 2011 Plan. The determination of the Committee as to the foregoing adjustments, if any, shall be conclusive and binding on Participants under the 2011 Plan.

15.3               Awards Previously Granted .  Notwithstanding any other provision of the 2011 Plan to the contrary, no termination, amendment, suspension, or modification of the 2011 Plan or an Evidence of Award shall adversely affect in any material way any Award previously granted under the 2011 Plan, without the written consent of the Participant holding such Award except as required under the tax laws.

15.4               Compliance with the Section 409A Rules .  It is the intention of the Board that the 2011 Plan comply strictly with the Section 409A Rules and the Committee shall exercise its discretion in granting Awards hereunder (and the terms of such grants), accordingly.  The Plan and any grant of an Award hereunder may be amended from time to time as may be necessary or appropriate to comply with the Section 409A Rules.

ARTICLE 16

Withholding

16.1               Tax Withholding .  The Company shall have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, the minimum statutory amount to satisfy federal, state, and local taxes, domestic or foreign, required by law or regulation to be withheld with respect to any taxable event arising as a result of this Plan.


 

16.2               Share Withholding .  With respect to withholding required upon the exercise of Options or SARs, upon the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units, or upon the achievement of performance goals related to Performance Shares, or any other taxable event arising as a result of an Award granted hereunder, Participants may elect, subject to the approval of the Committee, to satisfy the withholding requirement, in whole or in part, by having the Company withhold Shares having a Fair Market Value on the date the tax is to be determined equal to the minimum statutory total tax that could be imposed on the transaction. All such elections shall be irrevocable, made in writing, and signed by the Participant, and shall be subject to any restrictions or limitations that the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate.

ARTICLE 17

Successors

 

All obligations of the Company under the 2011 Plan with respect to Awards granted hereunder shall be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company.

ARTICLE 18

General Provisions

18.1               Forfeiture Events .

(a)                 The Committee may specify in an Evidence of Award that the Participant’s rights, payments, and benefits with respect to an Award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture, or recoupment upon the occurrence of certain specified events, in addition to any otherwise applicable vesting or performance conditions of an Award.  Such events may include, but shall not be limited to, termination of employment for cause, termination of the Participant’s provision of services to the Company, Affiliate, and/or Subsidiary, violation of material Company, Affiliate, and/or Subsidiary policies, breach of noncompetition, confidentiality, or other restrictive covenants that may apply to the Participant, or other conduct by the Participant that is detrimental to the business or reputation of the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries.

(b)                 If the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company, as a result of misconduct, with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, if the Participant knowingly or grossly negligently engaged in the misconduct, or knowingly or grossly negligently failed to prevent the misconduct, or if the Participant is one of the persons subject to automatic forfeiture under Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Participant shall reimburse the Company the amount of any payment in settlement of an Award earned or accrued during the twelve-month period following the first public issuance or filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (whichever just occurred) of the financial document embodying such financial reporting requirement.

(c)                 Any current or former executive officer who received any incentive-based Awards within a 36-month period prior to the date the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws shall return such Award to the Company upon demand by the Company. The amount to be recovered shall be the amount of incentive-based Awards, including equity awards, in excess of what would have been paid without the restated results. The operation of this subsection (c) shall be in accordance with the provisions of Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and any applicable guidance.


 

 

18.2               Legend .  The certificates for Shares may include any legend, which the Committee deems appropriate in its sole discretion to reflect any restrictions on transfer of such Shares.

18.3               Gender and Number .  Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any masculine term used herein also shall include the feminine, the plural shall include the singular, and the singular shall include the plural.

18.4               Severability .  In the event any provision of the 2011 Plan shall be held illegal or invalid for any reason, the illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining parts of the 2011 Plan, and the 2011 Plan shall be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid provision had not been included.  To the extent that any provision of this Plan would prevent any Option that was intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option from qualifying as such, that provision shall be null and void with respect to such Option.  Such provision, however, shall remain in effect for other Options and there shall be no further effect on any provision of this Plan.

18.5               Requirements of Law .  The granting of Awards and the issuance of Shares under the 2011 Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required.

 

18.6               Delivery of Title .  The Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver evidence of title for Shares issued under the 2011 Plan prior to:

(a)                 Obtaining any approvals from governmental agencies that the Company determines are necessary or advisable; and

(b)                 Completion of any registration or other qualification of the Shares under any applicable national or foreign law or ruling of any governmental body that the Company determines to be necessary or advisable.

18.7               Inability to Obtain Authority .  The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained.

18.8               Investment Representations .  The Committee may require any person receiving Shares pursuant to an Award under this Plan to represent and warrant in writing that the person is acquiring the securities for his own account for investment and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, the distribution of any part thereof.

18.9               Employees Based Outside of the United States .  Notwithstanding any provision of the 2011 Plan to the contrary, in order to comply with the laws in other countries in which the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries operate or have Employees or Directors, the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall have the power and authority to:

(a)                 Determine which Affiliates and Subsidiaries shall be covered by the 2011 Plan;

(b)                 Determine which Employees and/or Nonemployee Directors outside the United States are eligible to participate in the 2011 Plan;

(c)                 Modify the terms and conditions of any Award granted to Employees and/or Nonemployee Directors outside the United States to comply with applicable foreign laws;

(d)                 Establish subplans and modify exercise procedures and other terms and procedures, to the extent such actions may be necessary or advisable.  Any subplans and modifications to Plan terms and procedures established under this Section 18.9 by the Committee shall be attached to this Plan document as appendices; and


 

(e)                 Take any action, before or after an Award is made, that it deems advisable to obtain approval or comply with any necessary local government regulatory exemptions or approvals.

Notwithstanding the above, the Committee may not take any actions hereunder, and no Awards shall be granted, that would violate applicable law.

18.10            Uncertificated Shares .  To the extent that the 2011 Plan provides for issuance of certificates to reflect the transfer of Shares, the transfer of such Shares may be effected on a noncertificated basis, to the extent not prohibited by applicable law or the rules of any stock exchange.

 

18.11            Unfunded Plan .  Participants shall have no right, title, or interest whatsoever in or to any investments that the Company, and/or its Subsidiaries, and/or Affiliates may make to aid it in meeting its obligations under the 2011 Plan.  Nothing contained in the 2011 Plan, and no action taken pursuant to its provisions, shall create or be construed to create a trust of any kind, or a fiduciary relationship between the Company and any Participant, beneficiary, legal representative, or any other person.  To the extent that any person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company, and/or its Subsidiaries, and/or Affiliates under the 2011 Plan, such right shall be no greater than the right of an unsecured general creditor of the Company, a Subsidiary, or an Affiliate, as the case may be.  All payments to be made hereunder shall be paid from the general funds of the Company, a Subsidiary, or an Affiliate, as the case may be and no special or separate fund shall be established and no segregation of assets shall be made to assure payment of such amounts except as expressly set forth in the 2011 Plan.  The Plan is not subject to ERISA.

18.12            No Fractional Shares .  No fractional Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the 2011 Plan or any Award.  The Committee shall determine whether cash, Awards, or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares or any rights thereto shall be forfeited or otherwise eliminated.

18.13            Retirement and Welfare Plans .  Neither Awards made under the 2011 Plan nor Shares or cash paid pursuant to such Awards will be included as “compensation” for purposes of computing the benefits payable to any Participant under the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s or Affiliate’s retirement plans (both qualified and non-qualified) or welfare benefit plans unless such other plan expressly provides that such compensation shall be taken into account in computing a participant’s benefit.

18.14            Nonexclusivity of the 2011 Plan .  The adoption of this Plan shall not be construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board or Committee to adopt such other compensation arrangements as it may deem desirable for any Participant.

18.15            No Constraint on Corporate Action .  Nothing in this Plan shall be construed to: (i) limit, impair, or otherwise affect the Company’s or a Subsidiary’s or an Affiliate’s right or power to make adjustments, reclassifications, reorganizations, or changes of its capital or business structure, or to merge or consolidate, or dissolve, liquidate, sell, or transfer all or any part of its business or assets; or, (ii) limit the right or power of the Company or a Subsidiary or an Affiliate to take any action which such entity deems to be necessary or appropriate.

18.16            Governing Law .  The Plan and each Evidence of Award shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, excluding any conflicts or choice of law rule or principle that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation of the 2011 Plan to the substantive law of another jurisdiction.  Unless otherwise provided in the Evidence of Award, recipients of an Award under the 2011 Plan are deemed to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the federal or state courts of New York, to resolve any and all issues that may arise out of or relate to the 2011 Plan or any related Evidence of Award.

 

Exhibit 5.1

 

Nason, Yeager, Gerson, White & Lioce, P.A.

3001 PGA Boulevard, Suite 305

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410

 

June 28, 2018

 

Forward Industries, Inc.
477 Rosemary Ave.
Suite 219
West Palm Beach, Florida 33401

Forward Industries, Inc. Registration Statement on Form S-8

 

Ladies and Gentlemen :

You have requested our opinion with respect to certain matters in connection with the filing by Forward Industries, Inc., a New York corporation (the “Registrant”) of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) relates to the offering and sale by the Registrant of up to 1,000,000 shares of the Registrants Common Stock, to be issued pursuant to awards to be granted under the 2011 Long Term Incentive Plan, as amended.

In connection with this opinion, we have examined such documents and such matters of fact and law as we have deemed necessary as a basis for this opinion. We have assumed the genuineness and authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to originals of all documents submitted to us as copies thereof, and the due execution and delivery of all documents where due execution and delivery are a prerequisite to the effectiveness thereof.

The opinions expressed herein are limited to the New York Business Corporation Law, as currently in effect, and we express no opinion as to the effect of any other law of the State of New York or the laws of any other jurisdiction.

 

Subject to the foregoing and in reliance thereon, it is our opinion that the issuance of the Shares has been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered in accordance with the Plans, the applicable award agreements thereunder and the applicable resolutions of the Board of Directors, and upon receipt by the Registrant of any required payment therefor, if such payment is required by the applicable award agreement, the Shares will be legally and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

 

This opinion is being furnished to you for submission to the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of Form S-8 and the rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement with the Commission on the date hereof and to the use of the name of our firm in the section entitled “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder by the Commission.

 

 


 

 

 

This opinion is limited to the matters stated in this letter, and no opinion may be implied or inferred beyond the matters expressly stated in this letter. This opinion is given as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to advise you after the date hereof of facts or circumstances that come to our attention or changes in the law, including judicial or administrative interpretations thereof, that occur which could affect the opinions contained herein.

 

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

/s/ Nason, Yeager, Gerson, White & Lioce, P.A.

 

Nason, Yeager, Gerson, White & Lioce, P.A.

 

Exhibit 23.1

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-194510) of Forward Industries, Inc. of our report dated December 14, 2017, on our audits of the consolidated balance sheets of Forward Industries, Inc. and Subsidiaries as of September 30, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows, for the years then ended which report appears in the annual report on Form 10-K of Forward Industries, Inc. for the year ended September 30, 2017.

 

/s/ CohnReznick LLP

Jericho , New York

June 28, 2018

 Exhibit 23.2

Consent of Independent Auditors

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-194510) of Forward Industries, Inc. of our report dated March 23, 2018, on our audits of the balance sheets of Intelligent Product Solutions Inc.  as of September 30, 2017 and 2016, and the related statements of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows, which report appears in the Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed by Forward Industries, Inc. on April 5, 2018.

 

/s/ CohnReznick LLP

Jericho, New York

June 28, 2018